Techniques to Counter Common Time Thieves By Sue Dwan Dwan & Associates Ltd Smashwords Edition Copyright 2012 Sue Dwan Cover Image by Microsoft Office Used with permission from Microsoft Smashwords Edition, License Notes Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support. Limitation of Liability The general information and advice contained in this ebook is offered with the aim of assisting those interested in improving their time management skills. The information is not intended as an exclusive solution and Sue Dwan, Dwan & Associates Ltd, is not responsible for the application of the principles and steps taken in any undertaking. Please note: New Zealand spelling, which is different from American spelling for some words, has been used throughout this text. Contents Introduction Chapter 1: Some Ideas about Time Chapter: 2: Tine Thief: Meetings Chapter 3: Time Thief: Telephones Chapter 4: Time Thief: Email Chapter 5: Time Thief: Interruptions Chapter 6: General Tips About the Author Introduction I heard Engelbert Humperdinck singing a pitiful lament the other day – “If I only had time”, he anguished, “Only time”. I realised I hear that same lament almost daily, but from ordinary folk – not singing icons. It got me thinking about common time thieves and how they live amongst us, wearing a number of clever disguises. They’re colleagues who interrupt you when you’re deep into something and say, “Could I pick your brains about something?”, or, “Could you help me with…It’ll only take a minute…”, or, “I know you’re busy, but ”. They’re filing cabinets bursting with ancient and new files that may be unlabelled, and so creatively alphabetised that you can’t find anything for looking. They’re piles of papers on your desk that get bigger and bigger, a repository for the ‘I’ll get around to this, this week’ work, but you never do. They’re the time spent compulsively checking emails (despite being busy doing something else) when you hear the inbox alert, and the time spent forwarding on jokes, chain mail and amusing video clips. They’re the hours you spend reading all incoming emails, yet put off responding or processing them for another day. And that day may or many not ever come. They’re the emails you deliberately ignore reading because you’re busy doing other things or because you have an inbox with 2000+ emails and you’re overwhelmed at the thought of them all. They’re the meetings that leave you frustrated and angry that your time has been wasted. They’re the meetings with no agenda, the ones that start late and finish late and where most of the time is spent on minor issues, leaving little time for the big issues that need attention. They’re the meetings where the same topics are ‘put forward to the next meeting’ at every meeting, so they’re never, ever addressed. They’re the days you know you haven’t achieved anything; despite your efforts to be unavailable to others, your intentions to tackle important tasks and your to-do list. They’re the days when you can’t quite put your finger on why your best laid plans have gone to pieces, yet again. They’re the days you take work home to do after dinner, because you never get everything done during the day. If any of these scenarios hit the mark for you, it’s timely you are reading this little book. You needn’t sing Humperdinck’s song. There are simple, yet highly effective strategies to use to arrest time thieves in their tracks. It’s up to you really – do you want to be known as a lamentable singer or a person of decisive, smart action that gets results? ***** Chapter 1: Some Ideas about Time The interesting thing about time is that it dominates our entire life. The demand for it has absolutely no influence over its supply. There is never 'enough' of it, and what we have is all there is. It can’t be seen or physically touched, it is an abstract concept, yet we know when it’s temporarily unavailable or gone completely. Individuals have their own ‘temporal alignment’ (a time orientation) to either the past, present or future; and they may also view time as ‘linear’ or ‘cyclical’, depending on their cultures and cultural norms. Time can’t be stored or brought back, yet it can be ‘earmarked’ and juggled around, to fit things in. And time is ‘costly’, as the actual cost of an hour of an employee’s time far exceeds the hourly wage or salary rate paid to them. Per employee, an employer pays more money for their annual leave, sick leave and bereavement leave; pays accident compensation levies, training and development costs, a subsidised superannuation scheme or car park entitlements, and administrative time to process wages, income tax and superannuation savings. Moreover, there are the direct and indirect costs associated with business premises (electricity, insurances and the like), plant and equipment. Also, a typical 40 hour working week doesn’t necessarily mean a 40 hour working week. An 8 hour working day gives employees 480 minutes per day to use. If we deducted the typical morning and afternoon tea breaks (say, ¼ hour each) and lunch breaks (say, ½ hour), the 480 minutes is reduced to 420 minutes. If we factored in the time wasted by a lack of efficient and effective systems, interruptions, unnecessary or unproductive meetings and our own (and others’) time-wasting habits, the 420 minutes could be reduced another 60 minutes, to 360 minutes – that’s about 6 hours’ productive time each day – and a 30 hour productive week, to work within. Time management techniques are really self-management techniques. If we don’t learn to manage ourselves first, and if we don’t use proven time management techniques to work smarter, not harder, then we won’t be efficient or effective in the workplace. We may be busy, to be sure, but we may not be the least bit productive. Time is best utilised by: Thinking, then planning Time spent thinking about what is required of us and planning how we will do our work before launching ourselves headlong into it, is time well spent. The old saying 'more haste, less speed' (the faster we try to do something increases the likelihood we’ll make mistakes, which may then take longer to rectify, than if we’d planned the piece of work in the first place) could refer to time and self management. Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist who thought about distribution issues in the early 1900s, observed that 80% of the land owned in Italy was owned by just 20% of the population. His distribution concepts were expanded and adapted to different settings, for example, 80% of profits come from 20% of our customers; or, 80% of our sales come from 20% of our salespeople. The point is, we need to focus our effort on the 20% that makes a real difference or contribution, and base any decisions on work allocation, time and resources, on this. Doing the right thing, versus doing things right There’s a world of difference between doing the right thing and doing things right. If our focus isn’t on the right task, at the right time, we’re in difficulty. We can spent an inordinate amount of time on doing things right, but if we’re not doing things right on the right task, at the right time, it is simply a waste of time, money and effort. Developing plans Any planning sessions should be followed by documented action plans to record what needs to happen, what resources are required, when the actions are required by, how progress will be monitored and who will be responsible for particular pieces of work. Plans can be for the short, medium and long term, and a simple action plan format will suffice for small to medium sized plans. Documented plans provide focus, direction and the identification of any constraints that may need to be accommodated in their execution. Focusing on the important Everything we do for our job is important, and yet some things may be more important than others, in the bigger scheme of things. This means we need to constantly prioritise our work in terms of the important and the urgent. Minor issues, if left long enough, have the potential to become really important, then urgent. The key is to ensure everything gets done efficiently and effectively in a timely fashion. There can be no 'too hard baskets' left in the corner of the office, anywhere, ever. Using systems The way to avoid wasted time, money and effort is to develop and use effective, efficient systems. These include systems for filing, handling email, reminders of unfinished work (bring-ups), the management of customer relationships, purchasing supplies, regular maintenance and anything else you can think of. If it takes ages to find information, files, products or resources because you don’t have everything at your fingertips, it’s time to review and redevelop your existing systems so you do have everything you need, close at hand. Systems need to be used consistently and if you don’t do this – if you prefer a random, come-what-may approach – you will set yourself up (and possibly those around you) for ongoing problems. Eliminating time thieves Time thieves can be eliminated if: * people have a genuine desire to work smarter, not harder * there are good systems in place and they’re used consistently * people can change their beliefs, thoughts, words and actions around how things are typically done. Changing long-established habits can be challenging, so genuine intent and consistent action is needed. Being gracious with people, 'mean' with your time It is good manners and professional to be gracious with people. This can be done at the same time as being mindful of your daily schedule, the appointments you have to attend and the work you need to do in-between times. ‘Being mean with our time’ requires us to use a number of different communication techniques to keep a clear focus, redirect straying conversation topics and stop conversations after a pre- determined period of time. Achieving, not doing Being busy doesn’t necessarily mean we are achieving results (being productive). The key to success is to do what’s required within known constraints and achieve what we are tasked to do. Knowing what to do to improve our time management practices isn’t enough. Lasting improvement requires: 1. knowledge of effective time and self management techniques 2. serious intent (to change one’s thinking, habits and daily practices) 3. undertaking specific actions 4. being consistent in applying specific techniques or taking specific actions 5. regularly reviewing one’s progress 6. fine-tuning one’s techniques, until you achieve mastery! ***** Chapter 2: Time Thief: Meetings One of the biggest drains on people’s energy, patience, organisational resources and time, are meetings. You can reduce meeting time thieves by adopting the following tips: Preparation * Develop meeting rules/protocols/etiquette to use at every meeting. * Ensure all meeting participants have a copy of the meeting rules/protocols/etiquette. * Train people to be effective and efficient chairpersons/facilitators. * Appoint a meeting chairperson/facilitator who can control and direct meetings appropriately. * Ask that all participants come prepared and expect them to be prepared on the day. * Ensure meetings can’t be interrupted by putting a 'do not disturb' notice on the door. * Ask for agenda items several days before the meeting; have any 'other business' at the end of the agenda, not at the beginning. * Use a concise, realistic agenda and stick to it; put the most difficult or important (and time hungry) items first. * Set a time for each agenda item. * Set clear start and finish times for every meeting. * Ensure there are a workable number of participants, not more than the meeting warrants. * Ensure the venue is appropriate and conducive for a meeting. * Ensure the meeting is actually necessary, not simply a habit. * Only go to a meeting if it’s one you must attend. * Don’t cancel meetings unless it is essential to do so. * Eliminate all unnecessary meetings – don’t have them if they’re not absolutely necessary. Conduct a review of all meetings and determine whether they are mission critical, nice-to-haves or historical habits. * Cost out how much meetings actually cost the organisation, per hour of meeting time. To do this, take the number of people attending each meeting, and add the actual dollar cost of the attendees, per meeting hour (this includes their hourly rate and the dollar value of associated labour costs – i.e., annual leave, sick leave, superannuation, professional development, car park, etc. This could be about another 20-30%. * Schedule regular, standard meetings at the beginning of each year so they’re firmly established in everyone’s diaries, and so time isn’t wasted throughout the year getting large numbers of people to agree on meeting dates. * Ask any known quiet meeting participants to change their approach. These are people who rarely speak/won’t contribute at all unless directly asked to say something, and then may complain about all the dominant speakers. Tell them you need their contribution because their views are important; that you need them to speak up and be counted; and offer to coach them so they develop confidence and the skills to do so. * Ask any known dominant meeting participants (those who have a great deal to say about everything and may rarely listen to others) to change their approach. Tell them you need their contribution, however, you also need to hear others’ contributions as well. Suggest their enthusiasm to contribute is inhibiting those less confident or vocal. Ask them to participate in an exercise at the next meeting to note: the dynamics around the meeting table (who does what, how often, etc.); the times they themselves speak or talk over others; the body language of the participants when they and others are speaking. Debrief with the person after the meeting and discuss the findings from their perspective and your perspective. Offer to coach them so they can contribute, without dominating meetings. Actual meetings * Ask that all cell phones be turned off. * Ask people to be focused on the agenda items and to be ‘laser-like’ (to the point, not rambling) in their communications. * At the beginning of the meeting, identify its purpose and desired outcomes. * Start and finish meetings on time; don’t wait for late arrivals and don’t go over material latecomers have missed. * Stop participants who interrupt others when they’re speaking or who are dominating the conversation. * Record the meeting using a simple action plan format; i.e., decisions made, who’s doing what, by when, resources needed, what outcomes are required. * Challenge any poor timekeeping throughout the meeting. * Challenge any lack of focus in the discussions or when people stray off topic. * Ensure any tasks are allocated to individuals before the meeting ends and follow up on the agreed actions at the next meeting. * Ensure the first agenda item on every agenda for every meeting, is to report back on the agreed actions since the previous meeting. * Ensure everyone around the table has a chance to speak. * Ask for clarification of issues, or refocus the meeting when needed. * Expect professional behaviours and challenge participants who don’t behave appropriately. * At the end of a meeting, ask yourself (and the participants) if the outcome of the meeting was worth the time and the combined cost to the organisation. For example, what did we achieve? What was the value of this meeting? Was it worth our time and the cost to the organisation? What other ways could we have achieved these outcomes? ***** Chapter 3: Time Thief: Telephones Mobile phones, landlines and Skype means we can be available 24/7. But do we want to? Possibly not. Should we have to? Not necessarily. You can reduce telephone time thieves by adopting the following tips: * Make personal calls in personal time, not company time. * Plan your telephone calls (the people, your purpose, the desired outcome) before you pick up the phone. * Cluster telephone calls – do them at a predetermined time through the day, e.g. 10.15am, then again at 2.30pm. * Clear answerphones regularly – do it throughout the day, at set times, e.g. 10.15am and 2.30pm. Note who you need to contact and return the call at the predetermined time, or earlier if the call is urgent. * Divert your phone or turn on its answer service when you don’t want to be interrupted from your work. * When leaving messages, tell callers the time you will be available to speak to them, should they wish to call you back. * Develop a cue card system (or the electronic version of the system), to take notes on the content of your calls. This way you won’t forget what you’ve discussed or what you promised to do. * Regularly update your personal message options on your phone; i.e., stating when you are away from your office or are on annual leave. * Speak slowly when recording your voice messages (on your own and others’ telephones) and repeat your phone number and name twice. * Take personal chats with friends out of the work day, if you can; ask to call them back later on at a time that would be more suitable, or suggest catching up over lunch. * Take accurate messages and ask the same of others (name, date, subject and contact numbers). * Develop and use message pads to help record important information. * Buy a headset if you spend a lot of time on the telephone; this leaves your hands free to write notes while talking, and it saves getting a sore neck or sore hands from holding the phone at a particular angle for too long. * Never hold on when an operator asks if you’d like to wait; instead, leave a message with the best time for them to call you back. * Let callers know your time constraints; i.e., “I’ve only got 5 minutes to chat right now”. * Store often-used numbers in your phone and use speed dial when calling them. * Be assertively polite; keep your focus on every call. * Time limit each call you make or respond to, for example, 10 minutes maximum. * Recognise that making and receiving calls will take up a great deal of time in a working day and plan for that reality. The call that will ‘only take a minute’, rarely does. * Use caller ID to screen calls. * Learn conversation-finishing techniques, to control the duration of telephone calls. For example, “I’ve got to finish this call now, I have a meeting to go to”, or, “To summarise then, you’re going to do X and Y and I’m going to do Z and we’ll talk again next Tuesday, correct? Great, thanks for your time, goodbye”, or, “Could you work on that problem, come up with three options for solving it and get back to me tomorrow morning at 10am and we can discuss it then? Ok, thanks for that, bye”, or, “I’d love to chat further but I can’t, I’ve got to go now. Bye”. ***** [...]... you tend to avoid and why you do it * Ask people to stop waffling and endlessly repeating the same stuff – ask them to be laser-like; i.e., get to the heart of something quickly If you’ve heard the same story 50 times, say you don’t need to hear it again, unless there has been a new piece of information come to hand * Educate staff to advise colleagues and receptionist if they are unavailable Time is... you need to * Minimise eye contact with interrupters It signals you are busy and it’s not ok to be interrupted * If people want to see you and it doesn’t suit, acknowledge their need, so they feel heard Then make a time with them for another day at a time that does suit; or arrange to talk to them at break time * Learn to say ‘No’ Or, “No, I can’t help you just now” Or, “No, I can’t help you today” Or,... You can reduce interruption time thieves by adopting the following tips: * Don’t welcome casual visitors to your work space * Know your priorities, time frames and deadlines for the day, and stick to them * Use a daily to do’ list; and a weekly, monthly or yearly planner, to keep your focus * Periodically, keep a daily activity log and distraction record, to see where your time is really being spent... over the years, other ventures included cycle touring with Catherine and friends from Dunedin to Christchurch, Arthur’s Pass to Greymouth, Arthur’s Pass to Christchurch, Picton to Blenheim, and Picton to Queen Charlotte Sound “You’re mad!” has followed but not deterred us Friends may well be right in their analysis, but really, all we have is a desire to have a small adventure every now and again Is... information you have to work with, or who you have to consult or work with on an issue * ‘Chunk and label’ time in your diary This means marking out an amount of time to do a specific piece of work and writing it in your diary This way you make an appointment with yourself to do something specific, and you start and finish it in predetermined time frames * Eliminate all unnecessary meetings or time wasting... ‘thanks’ * Ask people to send personal emails to your personal email address * Learn speed reading/scanning techniques, to quickly get the gist of email content * Ask people to write in plain English if their writing style is too academic, difficult to interpret/decipher, or filled with jargon and confusing acronyms * Use a spam filter * Use the email system’s ‘rules’ function to perform routine responses,... right person to ask” For such a small word, it’s known to be incredibly difficult to get it out of our mouths * Try to fix definite times when you do not want to be disturbed (short of an emergency or catastrophic situation), and make the system work – i.e., put a sign on your door, divert your phone, go off-site and do some work at a café (preferably, one where you’re not likely to run into anyone you... our earlier hiking trips and cycle touring trips – had the fashion police been around, they’d have run us out of town Eventually though, the shoe shopping was successful and we left the store with brown and blue shoes respectively – and the footwear didn’t look too orthopaedic or more suited to Big Foot’s wardrobe All we needed to do now was to get everything else to go with the shoes… In a flash of... * Adopt a ‘need to know’ approach to sending emails; don’t CC everyone into every email It’s profoundly irritating, is most often completely unnecessary, and clutters up people’s inboxes * If a topic needs more than two to three emails, use the telephone instead It’s faster and more effective * Periodically deregister from group emails * Don’t respond to emails that you don’t have to, for example,... don’t try to be an expert in areas that are outside your expertise Don’t guess or assume – check first It will save you time in the long run * Ensure staff get the necessary training to do their jobs well Don’t abandon them or let them struggle It will take new employees longer to get up to speed if they’re left without support and guidance * Learn to delegate effectively and appropriately to capable . Techniques to Counter Common Time Thieves By Sue Dwan Dwan & Associates Ltd Smashwords Edition Copyright. have to attend and the work you need to do in-between times. ‘Being mean with our time requires us to use a number of different communication techniques